Topic: Where to buy a transport?

[ProtegeManiac]

Plotting a project here...anyone know where to get a transport unit for under 10k? Should be stable enough, and easy to wire a display screen and a DIY controlboard+IR receiver, if it doesn't come with one. Or if it comes with at least a control board and IR receiver, should be under 15k.

Thanks!

[ProtegeManiac]

OK I might as well share a few other tidbits of this planned project. Planning to have a top-loading CDP custom built, but before I ask any DIY experts I want to make sure this critical part can be easily sourced; lowering my budget to 5k to 10k range and willing to use a universal optical disc transport, if I get desperate enough I might gut a used Pioneer 6__ DVDP.

I have a friend who's interested in tinkering around (he's an ECE but noexperience in this sort of audio) who'll help me build put everything together in a pro-audio amp chassis, and I'll probably have chassis braces fabricated too. Thing is he's not that confident tinkering with the control board and display unit, so I might get help for that. Also will have the PCBs for the digital transfer to the D/A section and the analog output made by someone with far more experience on this, or at least design it. Will use twin power supplies, one for the transport and one for the processing; DAC chips might be CS4392 or CS4398*, and also, can anyone suggest what op-amp chips are generally the best sounding* and would generally have no issues paired with this DAC.


*I'll need help sourcing these, too
**Particular characteristics that I'm looking for: Accurate attack and decay, wide and deep soundstage

[John E.]

this is very interesting please give us updates once in a while better yet with pictures.

[titopepe]

kuya para saan yung transport?

[iiinas]

kuya para saan yung transport?

para sa cd player. i think @protegemaniac will build a cd player. this will be a very interesting thread in the days to come. 

[iiinas]

OK I might as well share a few other tidbits of this planned project. Planning to have a top-loading CDP custom built, but before I ask any DIY experts I want to make sure this critical part can be easily sourced; lowering my budget to 5k to 10k range and willing to use a universal optical disc transport, if I get desperate enough I might gut a used Pioneer 6__ DVDP.

I have a friend who's interested in tinkering around (he's an ECE but noexperience in this sort of audio) who'll help me build put everything together in a pro-audio amp chassis, and I'll probably have chassis braces fabricated too. Thing is he's not that confident tinkering with the control board and display unit, so I might get help for that. Also will have the PCBs for the digital transfer to the D/A section and the analog output made by someone with far more experience on this, or at least design it. Will use twin power supplies, one for the transport and one for the processing; DAC chips might be CS4392 or CS4398*, and also, can anyone suggest what op-amp chips are generally the best sounding* and would generally have no issues paired with this DAC.


*I'll need help sourcing these, too
**Particular characteristics that I'm looking for: Accurate attack and decay, wide and deep soundstage

i think going the route of gutting a pre-owned dvd/cd player will be the way to go sir.

http://www.customanalogue.com/index.html

if you at this link, this guy from australia apparently is well known in diying a lot of stuff. but his cd players are all done with existing branded bodies, they just tweak the inside to get the sonic results they are finding.

cheers and goodluck. 

[ProtegeManiac]

@pepengtom,

papagawa sana ko ng CDP, maghahanap ako ng ECE student na kilala ng mga kaibigan ko or coordinate with our schools' Management students. at the very end of it it will be study not just on the sound, but on possible business opportunities in making a DIY CDP, which we wil sell either as a finished unit (nangarap pa) or as a kit, then the buyers jsut have to find a chassis for it. If we do get lucky and get to try the first option we're gonna outsource assembly after prototyping.

UPDATE:

I've been PM-ing JojoD about this as he's already tried this, seems like for the first prototype we'll just gut my DVD players. apparently I was right in being concerned about the display and IR unit, so most likely as we near production we'll just shift to the CDM9 since you can get it packaged with a basic display and IR receiver.

[JoeyGS]

I've been PM-ing JojoD about this as he's already tried this, seems like for the first prototype we'll just gut my DVD players. apparently I was right in being concerned about the display and IR unit, so most likely as we near production we'll just shift to the CDM9 since you can get it packaged with a basic display and IR receiver.

Yup. Am proud to own JojoD's creation and is singing sweetly in my humble abode.

Here's a photo of the DIY CDROM
http://flickr.com/photos/15913120@N07/1712200973/

[dnk]

Yup. Am proud to own JojoD's creation and is singing sweetly in my humble abode.

Here's a photo of the DIY CDROM
http://flickr.com/photos/15913120@N07/1712200973/

This is neat! Is the Creative CD ROM easy to come by?

[JoeyGS]

Hunting for the Creative CR ROM is the fun part

This is neat! Is the Creative CD ROM easy to come by?

[ProtegeManiac]

@JoeyGS,

That looks neat, other than the color matching can you tell us about hte D/A section? What chip, etc? now that I've seen yours I think I can go without the digital display, but the thing is PC drives now dont come with remotes. Also, was looking into a CD transport and just build it into the chassis as a top-loader, so I'd get around the drawer problem.

[JoeyGS]

For the color, I can easily swap it with a black cdrom drive.  Its just that there are no black creative cdrom drive which sports an IR port for remote control fuction.

Basically, the DAC of the CDROM is utilised.  So, I assume its non oversampling --- JojoD can help me better explain the design concept.  It has a separate tube and SS/opamp output stage which I can choose from.

Yup for other cdroms other than the Creative brand you will have to contend with a full manual operation.  Just make sure you get cdroms with the play button.

@JoeyGS,

That looks neat, other than the color matching can you tell us about hte D/A section? What chip, etc? now that I've seen yours I think I can go without the digital display, but the thing is PC drives now dont come with remotes. Also, was looking into a CD transport and just build it into the chassis as a top-loader, so I'd get around the drawer problem.

[dnk]

Also, was looking into a CD transport and just build it into the chassis as a top-loader, so I'd get around the drawer problem.

I am in the process (since Nov 2008 and still unfinished) of building a top loader transport myself from a CD ROM. In my experience, taking the drawer assembly out of the equation creates more problems, at least for the particular CD ROM I am working on (LG brand). The function of the "Play" button depends on a physical switch that is triggered by the physical position of the drawer. if the drawer is open when you press play, it first has to close the drawer before it reads the disc. since you get rid of the drawer, it always thinks that the drawer is open, so it doesnt read the disc but tries to close the drawer, which will never close. if you short this switch, it always thinks that the drawer is closed. so, no problem reading and playing the disc. however, when you want to change the disc and press eject for the first time, it just stops the playing of the CD but the motor is still spinning. the disc will just stop spinning when you press the eject button again and the drawer opens. since it thinks that the drawer is always closed, the disc will never stop spinning and you cannot change the disc. what I do is to turn off the power and wait for the disc to stop spinning before changing the CD. Also, there is no l<< function, only >>l. If anyone out there has a better solution to this, please help out a bro.

One thing neat about this top loader is that it needs the magnet to go ontop of the center of the CD and I made mine to look like a record weight.

I am using a 707DAC with it and have quit any plans to make a tubed output stage due to time constraints, since I cant find the time to make it a decent chassis.

Good luck on your project! Please update us on the progress and perhaps we can share notes. 

[ProtegeManiac]

Wow didn't know the controls will be that complex. In any case, looks like CD-ROM will really not be an option for me, as it will complicate the design as I'd rather got for a toploader then just try to work at getting the other functions. All the chassis designs we've looked at so far have some way of supporting a plexiglass panel to cover the transport and all the other innards when not in use.